Russian For Lovers

by Marina Blitshteyn
Hand-sewn chapbook/ sold-out

“Russian for Lovers came about as an attempt to teach my beloved the basics of my native language. By a methodical working through of each letter and its comparable sound in English, a problematic relationship emerges between the speaker and her homeland, revealing the barriers inherent in trying to translate a culture and linguistic system, and the ultimate transcendent nature of two lovers trying to be together.”

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Marina Blitshteyn was born in the USSR and immigrated to the US in 1991. She learned English from cartoons and hip-hop and was able to attain a Jewish education with the support of her parents and the Jewish community of Greater Buffalo. She went on to perform in local and international poetry slams, edit her university’s weekly publication and annual poetry journal, and sing in a short-lived local trip-hop duo. She completed her BA in English at the University at Buffalo and is currently pursuing an MFA in poetry at Columbia University.